Branding is related to romance! Market competition has evolved from competition in product price, quality, and service to a higher level of brand competition. I believe all of you here are familiar with brands and are also experts in romance! So, let me ask: Do any of you executives cultivate your corporate brand like pursuing a romance? Perhaps some of you are thinking: I haven't even figured out what love is after living half my life! Right? Someone nodded! There's one thing I believe everyone will agree on: courting requires methods! A young man giving roses to a girl is a way of expressing love! Similarly, promoting a brand also requires methods, but perhaps our methods aren't as passionate or skillful as those used in pursuing romance! Therefore, today's theme is how to promote a brand using the ways of romance!
What is a true brand?
Before we talk about promotion methods, there is something that must be clarified first, and that is: what is a brand? Nowadays, whether it's manufacturers, distributors, or consumers, everyone has some understanding of brands, but what is the true meaning of a brand? What is a brand? I feel that opinions vary widely, leaving people at a loss! Some say a brand is just the name of a product! Others say a brand is the trademark of a product! In fact, most of these views are one-sided understandings of the definition of a brand based solely on its literal meaning! Of course, many people nowadays also believe that a brand is the fame of a product! Such as these, I think they only describe one factor in the formation of a brand, not the entire true meaning of a brand! So, what exactly is a brand? To summarize: "A brand is the embodiment of the value of a company's products. It includes the fame and reputation of the product among the public, and provides security, stability, and effectiveness in the market for consumption! The reputation of a brand is a direct reflection of consumer word-of-mouth! Reputation also largely reflects the loyalty of consumers to the brand! To put it plainly, why does Wuliangye sell well when it's just a bottle of liquor? This is the effect of branding! Here, we say Wuliangye is a branded liquor, not only because it enjoys fame in domestic and international markets, but more importantly, the intrinsic quality of its products has won the recognition of a wide range of consumers, meaning it at least meets the dual standards of fame and reputation. A few years ago, Qinchi Liquor and Sanzhu Oral Liquid were very famous in the market, known to everyone, but we can't call them 'brands'. Why? Because although they have relatively high fame, they lack significantly in product reputation! Therefore, a complete brand has high standard requirements! And now, some companies once they launch a new product claim they've created a brand, but this is actually a misunderstanding of what a brand is. Only by clearly understanding the true meaning of a brand can we effectively promote our own brand. Corporate brands can be classified according to their market share and influence range into: local brands, regional brands, national brands, and international brands.
Of course, to solve the problem of consumer recognition of brands, it is essential to first have a clear positioning of the brand! Among these, cultural positioning, market positioning, and public positioning are the most critical strategies. From a certain perspective, these three are both distinct and mutually reinforcing, having a complementary relationship! From the perspective of cultural positioning, if a brand lacks deep cultural heritage, it is difficult to meet the psychological needs of consumers! For example: developing a regional liquor brand, the cultural needs of consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region and Northeast China are different! This is why some products are popular in the east but get rejected in the west! From the perspective of market positioning, it means that a brand must have a strategic target market and cannot scatter resources everywhere; thus, in brand promotion, there should be targeted efforts! Because for different target markets, the brand strategy is different! Similarly, only by determining the audience for brand promotion can you clarify who you're promoting the brand to! Also, this helps you determine the brand's positioning based on consumption structure, whether it's a mid-range, low-end, or high-end brand! In terms of brand positioning, there are functional positioning, quality positioning, time positioning, and differentiation positioning (which is differential positioning). Only by determining these brand positions can we effectively promote the company's brand through appropriate methods.
Please get to know me!
Promoting a company's brand using romantic methods, the key first step is to let consumers get to know you! Many companies today are overly eager in promoting their brands, hoping that the whole world immediately buys their products! Some new products upon entering the market tell the general public: "I am your lifelong choice!" But in reality, most consumers don't choose it, let alone stay with it for life! This is akin to a man on the street saying to a woman he likes: "Marry me!" and receiving the response: "You're crazy!" Why such a result? Because he doesn't know how to sell himself, while a smart man might do this: holding a rose along with his business card, politely handing it to the woman and saying: "Miss, you're so beautiful. My name is Liang Shanbo, and I hope to get to know you!" Of course, this is just a joke, real-life romances may not be like this, but for brands, to cultivate consumer loyalty, it is necessary to first establish a platform for mutual understanding and communication between the brand and the public. Therefore, the first step is to let consumers know who you are! Today, many companies mainly rely on TV advertising for brand promotion, due to its fast dissemination speed and wide influence! Generally speaking, many companies in their advertisements want to say everything, but the result? Consumers don't understand anything! Not only is the brand positioning unclear, but it also fails to create a gradual process for brand promotion! For the launch of a new product, many companies give it unique features, including distinctive functions, novel packaging, corporate background, etc., as differentiation characteristics! Then, what exactly should we express to consumers in the first step of brand promotion? I think: primarily, we should express "Who are you?" Getting consumers to remember your name is the most crucial first step, and features like functionality should come later! Imagine: if consumers can't even remember your product name, would they actively go to the supermarket to buy it? Therefore, during brand promotion, it is important not to be too abstract or try to cover everything at once! You must let consumers gradually understand and recognize the personality of your brand, which in turn will encourage them to purchase actively, repeatedly, and even become loyal to your brand.
Please understand me!
When your dream lover already knows you, I think the next step should be to let her understand you, understand your abilities, understand your personality, and give her a reason to like you! Brand promotion is the same; if consumers already know your name, then you should gradually let the public understand the differentiated features of your product, including performance, packaging, service, etc. Only by going through such a cognitive process will consumers gradually develop interest in your product.
In romantic life, this phenomenon is quite common, where a girl initially might not be interested in an unremarkable-looking guy, but through continuous effort and communication, the girl eventually discovers: the guy may not look great, but he has good character, works hard, sings well, and dances nicely! Gradually, she starts to develop feelings for him.
Does a brand have similar situations? Certainly yes! Through enhancing consumers' awareness of the brand, consumers gradually discover: wow! It also has vitamin supplementation functions! Naturally, consumers will try to buy it. However, remember! Letting consumers understand the essence of your brand is not the first step, but the second! Just like a guy telling a long-time crush: "I'm rich, talented, and academically excellent. Marry me!" Imagine: would she agree? Definitely not! She would say: "I don't know you, and I don't understand you! You're too self-centered! Are you delirious?"
Therefore, from the perspective of brand promotion, if consumers already know you as ABC, then the next step should be to let consumers understand what makes ABC different from other similar products. In letting consumers understand the brand, some companies proactively advertise, while others interact with consumers to help them understand the brand; naturally, companies in different competitive environments adopt different methods.
Please fall in love with me!
The girl knows me, understands me, and the next step is to make her fall in love with me, because romance isn't about unrequited love, right? Making someone fall in love with you isn't an easy task! Making consumers fall in love with your brand is even harder! What is the most crucial point in making someone fall in love with you? That is, touching her heart! Smart men, in order to win a woman's affection, will do something that touches her, like "saving the damsel" or "helping in a snowstorm," often bringing tears to her eyes! And she involuntarily responds: "Ah Lang! I don't know how I could ever repay you in this lifetime!" This sentence is precisely what the man wants to hear!
Then, in the work of brand promotion, how do we touch the hearts of consumers? That is, what you say and do, can they satisfy consumers' new needs? For example: what do consumers care most about when it comes to thermal underwear? It's the "warmth." For a summer beverage, what do consumers care most about? It's the "coolness." Of course, consumers' needs are multifaceted, requiring us to continuously innovate around those needs.
Please trust me!
Everyone knows that romance is built on mutual understanding and trust. Through your efforts, the girl might fall in love with you, but she may still doubt you, questioning whether you'll play around or if you'll change your heart in the future. Similarly, your product may be good, but consumers may still doubt whether your quality will remain consistent! Currently, many products start off well, but as time goes on, they become increasingly fake. Would consumers not lose faith? So, how to make consumers trust you directly affects their loyalty to the brand. Men, in order to express their fidelity to their lovers, sometimes kneel and say: "Ah Lian! I will never leave you in this lifetime!" So, how does our brand declare our promise to consumers? Everyone knows Haier's slogan: "Service forever!" It is precisely to strengthen customers' confidence in the brand! Therefore, our companies must not only find ways to make consumers fall in love with our brand but also make them trust our brand!
Please marry me!
After the girl knows you, understands you, loves you, and trusts you, I believe proposing "Will you marry me?" would mostly not be refused. Similarly, after consumers have a certain understanding and familiarity with your brand, they will decide whether to choose you. How to make consumers choose you is a topic worth considering.
Actually, when each person chooses an object, they generally have a preconceived image of the other party in mind, such as appearance, figure, etc. If the reality differs greatly from their expectations, after the first impression, you might no longer wish to continue interacting with them. Likewise, consumers have a certain outline in mind for the ideal brand image, such as unique taste, fresh packaging, meticulous service, etc. But if your brand actions differ greatly from consumer expectations, would consumers choose you? Definitely not!
Nowadays, people see too many advertisements, especially television ads, which are overwhelming. But why do most consumers dislike watching ads? Is it really because ads take up TV drama time? There is some truth to that, but not entirely! Why? Mainly because the TV ads produced by our companies are simply too unappealing. They only think about saying everything they want to say without considering the audience's purpose for watching TV, which is to gain happiness! Why do viewers across the country love "Princess Pearl"? Because the character Xia Yanzi is particularly entertaining! But our commercials? Either they are too refined or too abstract, and consumers often can't even understand them, let alone feel happy! Why is this? Because our companies only focus on their own goals and their own happiness! They don't consider the psychological feelings of consumers! I believe that if an advertisement can bring joy to the audience, consumers will definitely watch it, and who knows, one day, they might even try buying your product! Therefore, the "please marry me" phase must deeply study the consumer market and figure out what consumers truly like before they will choose you!
Please accompany me!
Today, divorce is no longer a novelty, and can you ensure that consumers won't buy other similar products? So, how do we cultivate consumer loyalty to the brand? The final move in romance-style brand promotion is: "Please accompany me!" In real life, we often see on TV scenes where the man tells his wife, "Stay with me! Don't leave me!" But the other party not only shows no gratitude but instead yells and curses, "You're a loser! You have no money, no house, no car! Why should I suffer with you for a lifetime!" In fact, brands face similar phenomena. If your quality declines and your service lags behind, your original customers will switch to other brands. Actually, it's not that consumers are disloyal to your brand, but rather that your company hasn't fulfilled its initial promises! You've changed, and consumers have no reason not to leave you!
So, how do we make consumers stay with us for life? I think: all of you here should establish the foundation of the brand on consumer word-of-mouth rather than on advertisements. If a brand's effect is merely established through advertisements, it is nothing more than a colorful bubble that cannot withstand scrutiny! Therefore, we must strive to maintain consistent quality, enhance our services, and orderly promote our brand.
Today, we interpret the romance-style brand promotion method, which must go through a process of "Please get to know me! Please understand me! Please fall in love with me! Please trust me! Please marry me! Please accompany me!" to gradually build emotional connections between the brand and the public and cultivate consumer loyalty to the brand. Finally, I wish everyone happiness in love, and may your brands grow strong under the nourishment of love!